H55 EPS A-Okay Says EASA

H55, the Swiss producer of electric propulsion technology, has been awarded its design organization approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The measure follows the granting of the company’s production organization approval (POA) by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation in January, 2022.

The DOA and the POA allow H55 to design its electric propulsion system within a defined certification framework. The procurement of the two approvals positions the company to receive type certification for its 100kW electric propulsion system (EPS) targeted for CS23 aircraft.

CS23 is the European Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification for a range of Normal, Utility, Aerobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes.

Subsequent the announcement, H55 was selected by Pratt and Whitney Canada for a project in hybrid electric aviation.

H55 aims to contemporaneously certify its electric propulsion system‘s constituent motor and batteries as part of a single Type Certificate. The company has secured formal acceptance of its certification basis with EASA. Formal validations with other agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada Civil Aviation are pending.

H55 is the first company to receive type certificates for electric propulsion systems as part of its design organization scope. The DO, PO, and the TC satisfy stringent requirements for both the electric propulsion unit (EPU), which converts electrical energy into power, and the energy storage system (ESS), which stores and delivers electrical energy to the EPU. In America, such components are known by the less ostentatious appellations, electric motor and battery.

Prior to receiving the aforementioned certifications, H55 successfully demonstrated that its in-house DO capabilities are applicable to designing, developing, flight testing, and producing electric propulsion systems—including key technological components such as batteries, mechanical assemblies, software, and airborne electronic hardware.

The safety and reliability of H55’s systems has been substantiated by four airplanes the company has developed and flown. The TC will enable H55 to apply its electric propulsion technology to a range of extant and yet-to-be-developed aircraft.

H55’s modular, lightweight, electric propulsion system and stand-alone ESS battery-pack are increasingly sought after by airframe manufacturers, air-carriers, and component suppliers seeking to offer new, electric aircraft models or operations, or replace conventional—piston or gas-turbine—powerplants with electric propulsion.

FMI: www.h55.ch